Hello Reader,
I hope you are well. Summer has arrived, and it’s good knowing the next few months will be warmer.
I hope you enjoy winter if you’re living in the northern hemisphere.
Christmas is nearly upon us. Department stores will play Christmas carols, and the shop displays will be full of images depicting the smiling faces of children and adults. As you prepare for Christmas, I hope you will also be smiling.
Recipe
Equipment
- No specialised equipment is necessary for this recipe.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin (see instructions on how to prepare this)
- Feta (crumbled between the tips of your fingers and thumb)
- Walnuts (crush with a heavy metal implement, I use a coffee tamper)
- Speck (cut into small pieces and fried in a bit of oil in a hot frying pan)
- Pear (slice thinly with a mandolin, wear a glove to avoid cutting off the tips of your fingers)
- Black peppercorns
- Iodised rock salt
- Rocket leaves (in other countries, this might be known as arugula)
- Lime (use the zest and the juice)
- Olive oil
- Honey
- Red onion (chopped coarsely)
- Parsley (chopped)
Instructions
Pumpkin
- Cut a pumpkin into bite-sized chunks. I also leave the skin on for some extra fibre.
- Rub each chunk with some olive oil.
- Spread the pumpkin pieces across a baking sheet and then drizzle some honey and oil over each piece.
- Place the pumpkin into an oven and cook until the edges and corners of the pumpkin begin to change colour.
- Check the pumpkin is tender with the sharp end of a paring knife.
- Remove the pumpkin from the oven and allow it to cool on a bench.
The salad
- Once the pumpkin has cooled, it’s just a matter of adding it and everything else into a large mixing bowl and gently tossing the salad.
- I’m happy dressing this with olive oil and maybe a little lime juice.
- Transfer some to a plate with some form of meat.
- Eat with a fork and gaze out the window.
Dinner plate
I enjoyed this salad with lamb shoulder I’d cooked earlier in the afternoon. I dressed the lamb with gravy made from the cooking juices.
Final thoughts
- How do you feel about the elements in this salad? I know it may be a weird combination. Part of me was tempted to use gorgonzola instead of feta. I think blue cheese would be equally satisfying.
- Are you a big fan of Christmas?
- Would you eat this salad as a meal or have it with something else more substantial?
Photographs
This is a gallery of photographs
Actually this is a variation of quite a common pumpkin salad and presents as a filling and appetizing offering. Health conscious me would not incluse the speck . . . I would also leave the walnuts in bigger pieces and very finely slice the raw onion rather than dicing it for more elegant looks methinks . . . Christmas has never been of import in any families of which I have been a part – usually we have just taken time off in our then country properties or beach house and caught up with reading and paperwork.
Hi Eha
Good morning and thanks for the suggestions on how you would approach the salad.
Ok, a Sunday morning Q – I adore lamb . . . for my money you have spent a fortune here – how do you plan to use the other 4/5 of a very expensive purchase ? To get fresh, succulent results I would have made dishes ‘from raw’ in at least four entirely differing ways . . . how do you keep the weekday dishes from tasting ‘leftover’ ? Or stop eating the same protein more than 1-2 a week ?
Hi Eha, this is what I’ve done with the leftover lamb
https://yummylummy.com/2022/12/04/braised-lamb-eggplant-4/
smile Just saw this drop in as my finger was on the ‘off’ button – long day – another smile shall comment tomorrow if I may !!!
I’m not a great Christmas fan but strangely my kids and husband are so I just go with the flow. This will be my second Christmas of not working it. My husband will be going back offshore to work a few days after Christmas so I may be doing more of the Christmas dinner this year.
I’m on call this Christmas. I hope the telephone remains silent.
We certainly need to celebrate summer ☀️ and this is a lovely fresh wholesome salad befitting the season. I would probably skip the speck to keep this vegetarian and add puy lentils. With meat for an accompaniment and some boiled baby potatoes slathered in butter with chopped chives this is a delightful meal. A lovely dish thanks Gary.
I’m drooling thinking about the baby potatoes and butter.